Companies

Disconnect with managers behind millenials job hop

eabl

From left: EABL Group HR director Paul Kasimu, Rich Management CEO Aly-Khan Satchu Deloitte independent senior adviser Martin Oduor-Otieno during the launch of 2016 Best Company To Work For Survey at the Villa Rosa Kempinski in Nairobi on July 12, 2016. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU

Kenyan companies are unable to attract and retain qualified young talent due to a widening disconnect between what employers and the millennials — young employees born after 1980 — perceive to be a favourable working environment.

This is according to new research by Deloitte, which warns that a majority of Kenyan companies are not achieving their full potential as young resentful employees, who feel isolated from the workplace, quit in droves soon after employment.

“Businesses need to up their ante to meet the demands of this rapidly evolving business ecosystem by creating a new management model, developing a younger and increasingly inclusive leadership structure,” said Deloitte East Africa senior manager for human capital Debbie Hollis.

Various studies have defined millennials as those individuals born between 1980 and 1995.

According to the Deloitte East Africa chief executive Sammy Onyango, the need for employers to move with speed in engaging their young employees is urgent as 70 per cent of tomorrow’s employees will be millennials. Companies which fail to do so will face productivity challenges.

“As a leader, you need to begin with having a clear mission that resonates with the millennials and then leverage on their love for novelty to optimise productivity for the short duration that millennials will be in your organisation,” Mr Onyango said citing young people’s love for innovation and technology.

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Deloitte on Tuesday launched a call to companies for its 2016 Best Company To Work For Survey. Speaking at the event, Rich Management chief executive Aly-Khan Satchu said employees’ engagement and involvement in decision making is key to retaining millenials.

“We have a very young demographic. We have witnessed the arrival of the information century — this young connected demographic is very different from previous generations. It’s a little impatient. — it wants stimulus — and the secret is to ignite passion, in my opinion,” said Mr Satchu.

Ms Hollis said apart from money, the other vital top job satisfaction factor is the opportunity for the millenials to use their skills and abilities and feel engaged.

“Of course research has shown that money is a big factor in keeping the millennials happy, but of key importance is that the millennials want to be engaged more and therefore this has been shown to lead to greater staff retention,” said Ms Hollis.